Not the "Best" decade, But YOUR "favorite" decade in Formula One. Mine was the '90's The early '90's to be exact. The 80's was a VERY close second.
I think someone just did this thread or was that the one that asked for the best? The 80's both ways anyway. Senna, Prost, Mansell, etc. MB
As an American that grew up in the 70's, F1 viewing was slim pickings. That being said, ABC used to show 2-3 events per year - usually Monaco and some tape delay of various other races (US East and West, IIRC). I first saw Gilles on one of those broadcasts, and immediately became a fan. The 1970's - especially from Lauda's '76 accident on (which is probably my first real F1 memory) - hold a special place in my heart. However, nothing - and I mean NOTHING - compares to F1 in the 1980's IMHO. Everything from the cars, the technology, the drivers, and teams was just awesome. About the only thing remotely close in excitement was CART, but I feel CART peaked in the late 80's / early 90's, after the real great F1 years. 1980's - best decade in F1 without question!
Well I like the 2000-2009 period. Why? Well Ferrari won a bunch of titles and my two favorite modern day drivers did it, Schumacher and Raikkonen. Plus my two favorite cars are from that era, the F2001 and F2007.
Technically the seventies were probably the most interesting era but I was just getting started on F1. So for me too it was all about the eighties: ground effect cars, FISA/FOCA war, Villeneuve vs Pironi, Prost vs. Lauda, Prost vs Senna, il Leone, turbos, fuel starvation, 1200 hp pencil rockets, Bellof, qualifying engines, qualy shoot outs, slick tires, so many teams that Friday was prequalifying etc etc
The 60s!! Clark, Surtees, Stewart, Graham Hill, Dan Gurney, Brabham, Rindt, Fittipaldi, Hume, McLaren, etc... BRM, Tyrrell, Cooper, Eagle, Lotus, Brabham, McLaren, etc... Threaded tyres, no wings, no electronics, no paddle-shift, no bull**** ...
Top 5 best years ever in F-1 1. 1990 - Prost, Senna, Mansell, Piquet, Berger, etc.... it was great! V-12, V-10, V-8, W12, Flat 12 wild cars... wild drivers! 2. 1984 - Lauda, Prost all the turbo cars, wild downforce and F-1 was still exotic! 3. 1966 - Classic F-1 3 liters, great sound great drivers - Clark, Stewart, Bandini, Surtees, Hill, etc.... 4. 1976 - Wild cars, Lauda vs. Hunt, Mclaren vs. Ferrari drama, classic old tracks... Matra, Ferrari BRM, Lotus, 6 wheel tyrell... 5. 1982 - High Drama year... Villeneuve death, Pironi last GP, Ground effects, turbos, Lauda return, drama- drama..... sexy cars to boot.
We just did this exact same poll about 6 months ago.. I picked the 80's because I love the turbo cars, and I photographed Detroit every year. BUT, I like the 60's because the music of the era that went with it was great, and I like the 70's because the ******* that went with it was great as well.
Without a doubt the '80s for me, when there seemed to be no limit to the insanity of qualifying boost. I love the appearance the of the cars then, the sound, the huge sparks and flames flying everywhere, Witch's Brew fuels, etc, the closest thing to early '70s Can-Am unlimited chaos. Same goes for late '80s/early '90s Group C Le Mans turbo cars. And I love driving turbo cars as well, it's a unique experience. Great drivers and great races in that era, I miss some of the old tracks that were phased out by the end of the '80s. I was too young to be a part of the '70s or earlier as they were happening, but from what I've seen, I think I would have loved those eras as well as still enjoy seeing what I can on video. But the dramatic increase in HP in a only a couple years (500s to 1000s) in the '80s is nothing short of PERVERSE in an almost military fashion, which also goes perfectly with the Excessive '80s.
I still like the '60s, when the cars didn't have wings or sponsor decals and were still painted in national colors. Just watch "Grand Prix" again and you'll see what I mean. But you do have to like 1982 - a year in which eleven different drivers won Grands Prix and the eventual World Champion only won once!
being a younger member i never really got into f1 until I was a sophomore in college, aka 2001. so i've only been watching for a decade now but i loved the mid 2000s when schumacher and ferrari were demolishing everyone. My favorite season ever though was Hamilton's rookie year when he and alonso were going at it. I loved the drama and I loved the fact Raikonnen (my favorite driver ever) came out on top that year.
Mine is 1985 - 1995 F1 peaked in 92-93...its been stuck in 3rd gear ever since. Chances are we will never see a collection of amazing cars and drivers as we saw in that decade. The likes of Senna, Prost, Piquet, Mansell, Berger, Patrese etc....Characters like those don't exist anymore. My second favourite would be 1972 - 1982. Good times....Such color and flair of the '70s will never be replicated again. Each driver and car was so unique, this decade created a masterpiece which will be showcased for decades to come.
